Chatham Lake enthusiasts recently received wonderful news when the Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries (LDWF) announced it stocked the local fishery with 5,300 channel catfish fingerlings between October 6th and 8th.

The gesture was part of a statewide initiative in which LDWF stocked 8 lakes across Louisiana with 68,200 catfish

Jackson Parish Watershed Commission President Gary Joynor, who has worked diligently for several years to improve fishing at Chatham Lake and was instrumental in Chatham Lake being stocked with Florida strain bass last year, was very appreciative that LDWF included the often-overlooked local waterway with their stocking program.

“Great news for Chatham Lake and the town of Chatham,” said Joynor. “I’ve been lobbying with LDWF for a few years and asking them about stocking channel catfish in Chatham Lake. Well, it finally happened last week, and I couldn’t be more proud for our parish and that community. I’d like to thank the LDWF for their continued effort to promote fishing in these small community lakes like Chatham.”